Bye Bye Espana....

Nice job Hondures....

The Spainard

Beach Volleyball is just a sexy sport.....

Tha Spaniard

Let the Games Begin!!!!

730 tonight on NBC

The Spaniard

Gillian's Water park, Ocean City NJ

Water parks are great, it so nice to see the kids having fun and

enjoying the rides.

Love them all so much.

The Spaniard

Mr. Bills, South Jersey

I had the pleasure of driving by Mr. Bill's with my son and his friends last week. We stopped by for lunch and it was great. Portion sizes are huge so learn to share.

Picked as one of SJ Magazines "Best of 2007", South Jersey Magazine "Best of 2008 & 2009". The landmark restaurant re-opened in April of 2007 and has become one of the best places for breakfast, lunch or dinner in South Jersey

On your way out please make sure you stop @ the counter and pick up a treat to go.... If you don't your out of your mind!!!          

This venue gets four out of four in my book

The Spaniard

Meatballs by Lidia

When ever we go into the City for a show we always stop by Becco to see if today they are serving Meatballs. Lidia has the best meatballs I've ever tasted, thank you so much....


On this beautiful Sunday morning I put on my favorite Dean Martin CD and started making meatballs. Below is Lidia's recipe for meatballs. I only have four out of her seven cookbooks but I highly recommend getting Lidia's Italy in America, great book with amazing recipes, so pop in the CD, grab a bottle of wine, a french bouquet and enjoy

 

 

Ingredients

• For meatballs:
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground veal
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• For sauce:
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino
• 3 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
• 1 lb. spaghetti

Preparation

Everybody loves meatballs.  I feel like meatballs are part of Americana. They belong on the American table and this is a great and simple recipe.  It calls for three types of meat but a combination of any two or even one will work as well.  It freezes well, but is best frozen in smaller quantities, (1/2 pint, 6-8 meatballs and sauce) so that it reconstitutes quickly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a food processor, combine the carrot, celery and onion and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.  Scrape pestata into a large bowl and add remaining meatball ingredients.  Mix well with your hands to combine all of the ingredients.

Roll into golf ball size meatballs and place on baking sheets.  You should get about 4 dozen (48) meatballs.  Bake meatballs until browned all over, about 18 to 20 minutes.  (They do not need to be entirely cooked through, as they will cook more in the sauce).

While the meatballs are baking begin the sauce.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in ½ cup water and simmer the onions to break them down, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Once the water has cooked away, add 1 teaspoon salt, the bay leaves and peperoncino.  Let the peperoncino toast for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes.  Slosh out the tomato cans and bowl with 4 cups hot water and add to the pot.  Add the remaining teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer while the meatballs finish baking, about 10 minutes more.

When the meatballs have finished baking, gently add them to the sauce and return to a simmer.  Simmer, shaking the pan periodically to move but not break the meatballs, until sauce is thick and flavorful, about ½ hour.

Add 1 lb. spaghetti to boiling salted water. When the pasta is al dente, drain with tongs and add directly to ½ the sauce. Toss and serve immediately with some grated Grana Padano and a meatball or two on top. Add extra sauce to your taste.       

Enjoy.....

The Spaniard

Modernist Cuisine, Nathan Myhrvold

The Cookbook to end all cookbooks

2,438 pages, 1522 recipes, 50lbs and a price tag of $600 dollars,

now that's a cookbook

See what happens when you combine a foodie and a scientist into one person, having earned advanced degrees in geophysics, space physics,

and theoretical and mathematical physics. 

He is also the chief technology officer and chief strategist of Microsoft.

"The perfect omelette (or scrambled eggs) ratio: for optimum texture and flavour, Myhrvold uses three egg yolks and two egg whites
cooked at 165° Fin a steam oven".
This is just one recipe

Modernist Cuisine consists of five major volumes plus a spiral-bound kitchen manual, which reprints recipes and reference tables from the major volumes on water-resistant paper for use while cooking.  The set is the most expensive newly published food book in history.  The audience for the authoritative reference is diverse—“chefs, food scientists, people who travel for food, people who like to know what chefs are thinking.” 
Currently in its third printing, it’s sold out in the U.S.

Modernist Cuisine, self-published by Nathan Myhrvold, abetted by the fortune he amassed in his 14 years at Microsoft, has been heralded as a culinary landmark. In the forward, Spanish chef and food wizard Ferran Adrià praises it as “a stepping stone to the future of cooking” and “a book that raises expectations of what cooking can be.”

If anyone is thinking of what to get me for my birthday, this is it!!!!

The Spaniard

The Park Steakhouse, Park Ridge NJ

It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of a good steakhouse, I'm so glad we found this place.  John and Randy have a great venue in their hands and the city of Park Ridge is so fortunate to have this restaurant within their community.  I wish I lived closer.

I highly recommend everyone checking this place out, the items we had are listed below and I must say all the dishes where spot on...

Great job Chef to you and your team!!!  

Ahi Tuna Tacos
Wasabi Cream – Taro Chip – Crisp Slaw

Sautéed New York State Duck Liver
Grilled Pineapple & Scallion Salad - Pomegranate Reduction

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass
Ginger Scallion Cream – Caramelized Grapefruit – Steamed Basmati Rice

Roasted Veal Tenderloin Horseradish Gnocchi 

Smoked Tomato & Porcini Mushroom Broth

I must add a side note as to the Foie Gras, over my 30 years in this industry I've been fortunate to have indulged in foie gras prepared by the best chef in the world like Todd English, Tom Colicchio, Charlie Palmer, Michael Mina, Eric Ripert and Chef of the Century Joel Robuchon and I must say that the one we had @ the Park Ridge was just as good....we enjoyed it so much that we ordered another one. As the French say, "Chapeau"

I've listed the wed site below for your review and if you don't visit The Park Steakhouse you truly don't like eating great food....

Great job Chef to you and your team!!! 

www.theparksteakhouse.com

The Spaniard

Euro 2012, Spain vs Italy

Good luck to both teams.

Via Espana, for my Father

Today @ 230p

The Spaniard